In October 2017, Street Plans transformed a local neighborhood street in the Miami Shores village into a pedestrian-friendly plaza as part of the Miami-Dade Transportation Quick Build Program.
The efforts to transform the space into what is now known as Plaza 98 were carried out in collaboration with Miami Realtors, the Greater Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce, and the Miami Shores Downtown Advisory Committee. The new community gathering space was preceded by an urban analysis for Downtown Miami Shores which included architectural design, streetscape, and parking recommendations and guidelines for NE 2nd Avenue. Plaza 98 followed these guidelines and converted the space into a living street. To make this transformation a reality, the Plaza 98 team installed a new asphalt mural to define a new public space for periodic programming and activities for Miami Shores village residents of all ages.
Street Plans led all public engagement efforts with the village and worked to translate the design provided by local architect Joe Clark onto the asphalt. During the installation, Street Plans coached and supervised the volunteers as they painted the design of the asphalt mural on the street. The geometric pineapple design was inspired by Miami Shores’ past as a Pineapple Plantation. Local makerspace Moonlighter Makerspace created large-format stencils used by the volunteers to outline the design.
Once the installation was complete, the space was adopted by the community for weekly activations with live music, entertainment and various community events. Two years later, the plaza is still used as a public space by the Miami Shores community.
